Nov 2

Welcome to Ways to Save, a new weekly series where we will drill into different frugal living or money saving tips in more depth.  This week we will look at how you can dine out on a budget, and provide our best money saving tips in this regard.  If you have topics you would like to see addressed in a weekly Ways To Save edition please email those to us at centsibleinseattle@gmail.com or submit it in the comments section below.

Dining out, its a splurge that can really be a budget buster.  There are ways you can eat out for much less then you would spend full price. Here are some of my best tips, please join the conversation if you have more great tips!

Use Coupons & Promotions!

Dine Around Seattle is happening this month, which is what prompted me to do this post. While $30 pp may not be a cheap meal, it is a big savings opportunity to enjoy fine dining options in Seattle.

One of the most popular sites for coupons is Restaurant.com.  If you purchase when Restaurant.com is having an 80% off sale you will get $25 certificates to eat out at local eateries for $2!  Here is the nitty gritty on how Restaurant.com certificates have worked for us:

• Buy when they Restaurant.com is having an 80% off sale.  Get a $25 certificate for $2.
• Most certificates have a minimum spend requirement of $35.  Spend the extra $10 to hit minimum, plus tax and tip on a $35 meal.
• Total cost  of approx. $20.40 for a meal that would have cost you $43.40 – that’s over a 50% savings ($2 for certificate on sale, $10 for min. spend, $5.25 for 15% tip, $3.15 tip)

Daily Deal sites offer half off restaurant deals regularly- places like Groupon, Living Social and Tippr will provide local deals on restauarants in your area. Usually you will get 50% off, but they offer deals on restaurants that are not often included on Restaurant.com.

Groupon has a new feature called Groupon Now. You can log in to your Groupon account (get $5 just for signing up if you have not already) and put in your zip code. You will find restaurant deals available for that day if you want to do some impromtu dining out!

Join Email Clubs-

There are some great deals out there when you sign up for restaurants email clubs. Some of the best deals are for your birthday, but most places allow you a one month time period to redeem the offer. Register different family members for different restaurants and you will have offers coming throughout the year.

Maggianos offers a free $1o off coupon when you join their email club here.

Dukes gives you a Buy One Get One entree free coupon when you join, and they send you a coupon for a free entree on your birthday (no purchase required!).

Bennihanas sends you a $30 certificate to use to eat out during your birthday month.

Chuck E Cheese sends the kids a coupon for free tokens and a pizza deal during your birthday month. They will also send you new meal and token coupons each month.

Old Country Buffet offers coupons when you sign up for their emails (we got a buy one get one free coupon).

Get 2 free Chicken Tacos from Del Taco just for signing up for their emails. Get a friend to sign up too, and you have an almost free lunch date!

Johnny Rockets sent us a buy one get one free burger coupon when we signed up for their eClub.

These are just a few examples. If your family has a favorite restaurant, look them up online and see what email promotions they offer.

Consider Unconventional Dining Options -

Ikea: Ikea has many affordable dining options. Currently you can stop by for free:

• Breakfast on Mondays
• Kids eat free on Tuesdays,
• Thursday get Roasted chicken and mashed potatoes for $1.99
• Friday Hot dog and soda $1.00 Available in our Bistro
• and you can always grab $2.99 Meatball meals (10pc Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberries $2.99) and a $.99 breakfast plate (9am to 11am).

Goldstar: Goldstar sells discounted tickets to many local events. You can purchase a brunch and dinner cruises for more then half off, or hit Dicks Drive In for cheap burgers and the end the evening with a $10 Wine & Chocolate tour purchased on Goldstar (half off). Ticket offerings change over time, but there are some steep savings to be found on this site.

FareStart: This restaurant is located on 7th & Virginia, and while its not cheap you are not only eating out but also contributing to a worthy cause – so you can feel good about this meal. They offer lunch M-F and then host dinner on Thursdays as part of guest chef nights. Lunch will run you in the $10 range for your entree or sandwich, and dinner is $24.95.  I have heard great things about the food, and its suppose to be a real value for the meal you get. Although its not saving you money eating out, you could consider it part of your giving budget too. All proceeds from you meal purchase go back into supporting the Fare Starts job training and placement programs.

Happy Hours -

Il Forniaio is reported to have a free happy hour buffet. I have heard the food is mediocre and it can get crowded, but I did say free. This is an unadvertised freebie so I always recommend calling ahead to confirm it is still taking place when you plan to attend. Happy hour runs from 4:30 to 6:30 M-F, but fills up fast so head over early. A drink purchase is required, and they start at $3.

McCormick & Schmicks – They are famous for a Happy Hour menu with prices starting at $1.95! Cheese burger and fries are a big hit on the menu.  There are many items listed for under $4.95. There is a drink purchase requirement of $3.50.  Their happy hour runs from 3:00 to 6:00pm Monday – Thursday and Late Night 10:00pm – 12:00am / Friday 3:00 – 6:00pm & 10:00pm to 12:30am / Saturday 4:00-6:00pm & 10:00pm-12:30am / Sunday 4:00-6:00 pm & 9:00-11:00pm.

The Matador – They have some meaty Tex Mex selections and host a $5 happy hour from 4 to 6 pm daily and 10pm to 1am daily. This is a great option for weekend eats.  Friends tell me that the Texas size nachos will feed two (at only $5 a plate thats a bargain)!

Mortons Steakhouse – offers Power Hour  daily from open-6:30 and then 9pm to close.  Their  ‘Bar Bites’ run from $6 to $7 .

These are just a few ideas. For more information on Happy Hours available in the Seattle and surrounding areas check out the Seattle Happy Hours Guide – The Unofficial Guide to Seattle Happy Hours or Seattle Happy Hours at Seattle Dining.

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